CAST

Dennis Burby (Squirrelly Joe)is excited to play this part. He feels that the role of Squirrelly Joe was written for him or, possibly, that he was written for the role of Squirrelly Joe. Becoming an actor is Dennis' way of dealing with The Mid-Life Crisis. It's an expensive hobby, but cheaper than a Lamborghini or a divorce. His favorite roles have been in Cannibal! The Musical (Miller) at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Road Kill (Travis) at Ensemble Theatre, and Running Mates (Sam Storm) at East Cleveland Theatre. Dennis lives in Twinsburg with his wife, Wanda, daughter, Elizabeth...and five cats.

Will C. Crosby (Superfan/Damon) is originally from Lakewood, and has worked all over the Cleveland area as an actor, director, and stage manager. Most recently, Will was seen as Prince Herbert/Not-Dead-Fred in Weathervane Playhouse’s production of Monty Python’s SPAMALOT. Other notable roles include Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher (Weathervane), Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls at Olmsted Performing Arts, William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Huntington Playhouse) and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (CAMEO). Will worked as the director of the Garfield Middle School drama program in Lakewood, as well as directing for this year's 8x10 TheaterFest at Weathervane. #BugBirdandTurtle

Barb Dragony(Sheila Hartman)is thrilled to make her Blank Canvas Theatre debut in this production! Barb was most recently seen in the recurring show Flanagan’s Wake as Fiona, a role that she will be reprising for her eighth year this January. A veteran of many shows, she counts among her favorites Nunsense (Mother Superior), Lucky Stiff (Rita), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Domina), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Nurse Ratched), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (company) and Young Frankenstein (ensemble). When not on stage, Barb is a designer/illustrator…giving life to the characters that live in her head. A big thanks to the cast and crew and especially to Patrick and Russ. And always…Mr B.

Mike Frye (Merle)- Mike hails from Oberlin, Ohio and is pretty jazzed to make his Cleveland debut at Blank Canvas Theatre. He was recently seen in shows across Lorain County such as The Star Spangled Girl (Andy), Twelve Angry Men (Juror 4), and The Odd Couple (Speed). You can see his haunting visage in your cup of tea during a full moon.

Beth Gaiser (Stella) is excited to join such a talented cast and crew for her first production at Blank Canvas Theatre. She has been active in the greater Cleveland performing arts community most of her life, and is proud to be a Cleveland Singing Angels alumna. Theatre is her first love, however, and she has been seen in several productions locally. Beth's most memorable roles have been in The Man Who Came to Dinner (Maggie), On Golden Pond (Chelsea), The Night of January 16th (Karen), Pilots of the Purple Twilight (Mary), A Piece of My Heart (Whitney), and Boeing, Boeing (Berthe). Her proudest role is that of mother to five wonderful children. Beth would like to dedicate this performance to the memory of her father, Raymond. Dad, you have the best seat in the house.

Andrew Keller (Roger) is very excited to be making his debut at Blank Canvas Theatre in The Bigfoot Letters! Recent credits include Farragut North (Ben), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Peter) bothat Ensemble Theatre, Footloose (Reverend Moore) at The Huron Playhouse, and Into the Woods (Narrator) at the Village Players in his native Toledo. He is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University, where he studied acting and directing. Credits there include: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (George), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Gordon Lowther), and Noises Off (Freddie). Special thanks to everyone at Blank Canvas for this terrific opportunity!

Jon Knight(Crew, Del) is excited to be in this production. He has spent the last five years as a member ofSomething Dada improvisational comedy troupe, as well as having been a part ofThe Mundane Life of Lucifer(Lucifer).

Anthony Newman (Murphy) is happy to be making his Blank Canvas Theatre debut in The Bigfoot Letters. He is also excited to be working with director Russ Stich again for the first time in five years. Some of his recent credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck), Lindbergh's Flight (Charles Lindbergh), and The Crucible (Giles Corey). He has also directed productions of The Exit Interview and That's Entertainment! or The Kinda Regrettable Tragedy of Mason Blair, Washed Up Actor (a workshop production of an original one-act play he wrote) for Case Western Reserve University's Players' Theatre Group.

Aaron Patterson (Sheriff Elkins) has been a cast member with Something Dada for over a decade. He has been lucky enough to work with amazing people on many projects in and around the 216, 440, and 330. Aaron is so very proud to be a part of The Bigfoot Letters! Congratulations and thanks to Russ and Nancy

Ronnie Thompson (Pastor Delroy) is extremely happy to be part of this production and to be performing at Blank Canvas Theatre for the first time. Recent credits include Shrek The Musical (Pinocchio), A Christmas Carol (Bob Cratchit), and The Addams Family (Uncle Fester).

Tiffany Trapnell (Waitress/Attendee/Cynthia) is thrilled to be back on the Blank Canvas Theatre stage and even more thrilled to work with Russ! After earning her BA in Theatre from Baldwin Wallace University in May of this year, she worked as a Stage Manager for Mamai Theatre Company. Notable credits include Marjorie in Extremities and Thyona in Big Love. Upcoming roles include Miss Forsythe in Death of a Salesman.

Britta Will (Wild Hair Sally/Woman) is excited to make her Blank Canvas Theatre debut. She is a current (five-year) member of Something Dada Improvisational Comedy Company and a teaching artist with Kulture Kids, with whom she can be found at schools, libraries, and arts festivals throughout Northeast Ohio performing the one woman show Ma’at Is Missing: Deciphering Manners. Other recent credits include Road to Freedom (Immigrant), The Magic Brocade (Brothers Puppeteer), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Musician), and Avenue Q (Bad Idea Bear).

Russel Stich(Director) is excited to be able to bringThe Bigfoot Lettersto life on the stage of Blank Canvas Theatre. In addition to directing for Beck Center for the Arts’ Youth Theater for the last fifteen years, he has directed productions for TrueNorth Cultural Arts, Elyria Summer Theater, and Olmsted Falls High School. Russ is a founding member ofSomething Dada Improvisational ComedyCompanyand serves as its artistic director.